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publish date:
2026-04-22 15:30:03
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The Mafia's Substitute Bride 211
It was late afternoon by the time the sun stretched across the pool, its light casting a soft gold shimmer across the surface. The water shifted lazily, catching bits of sky in each ripple. Bellavista was completely silent again—no cameras behind hedges, no cars idling at the gate, no press trying to catch her slipping. Lucas had cleared them all out days ago. One statement from him, and they scattered like ash in wind.Valentina floated near the edge, her arm resting along the cool tile, her wine glass balanced delicately on the rim where it had been sitting for half an hour. Her skin was sun-warmed and damp, glistening under the light with that clean sheen of saltwater and heat. Her hair was slicked back, face bare, and still somehow flawless—she really was beautiful without even trying.Lucas was a few feet away, sitting in one of the poolside chairs with a drink in hand and nothing else in front of him. Just her and a look he wore when his mind was moving four hundred kilometers p
The Mafia's Substitute Bride 210
The crowd had already formed outside her building by the time Valentina stepped out of the lobby of the mall. Cameras flashed without pause. Microphones shoved forward like weapons. Voices rose in overlapping bursts, all of them desperate to drag a single word from her mouth.“VALENTINA, is it true you’re pressing charges?”“Why haven’t you responded to Alecia’s video?”“Did you steal Marco or did she?”None of it mattered.She didn’t flinch or look at them, and just kept walking with her heels clicking sharp against the pavement, sunglasses low over her eyes, mouth set in a way that gave nothing away. Her guards making way for her.Olive was already waiting by the car, engine running, jaw tight from the morning’s chaos. She pulled the door open as Val approached. Immediately she got in, Olive shut the door, and the noise outside disappeared.—The Vescari Foundation building was no better. The moment their car pulled up to the side entrance, cameras were already moving. A man with a
The Mafia's Substitute Bride 209
The first flash went off before Alecia even stepped fully into the sunlight. She didn’t flinch or look up, and just kept walking, her hoodie pulled low over her face and the oversized sunglasses covering everything else. The bandages on her wrists peeked out from under her sleeves, stark and white against the black fabric, but she didn’t adjust them. She just kept going, calm and steady, like none of it touched her.Reporters were already screaming her name, bodies pressed against the barrier like they were starving and she was the last meal on Earth. A security guard tried holding them back with one hand while covering his face from the flashing lights with the other. Amongst the crowd someone shouted a question about her going for rehab, someone else yelled if she okay, like she might turn around and answer.A woman screamed “We love you, Alecia!” with the same energy people shout at pop stars from stadium seats. And maybe that’s what Alecia was to them right now—messy, famous, trag
The Mafia's Substitute Bride 208
The hospital room smelled like bleach and artificial lavender. Someone had cracked the window slightly even though the air outside was hot and dry. The light stung her eyes. The machines beside her bed beeped slowly, almost rhythmically. For a while, she stared at the IV in her hand and counted each drip until her vision blurred again. She didn’t remember fainting, she didn't remember the ambulance ride, or even remember hitting the floor while on the call. Only that the floor had been cold, and she felt like she was floating.A nurse came in quietly, adjusted her blanket, and said nothing. They’d been instructed not to make small talk, not to ask her anything unless it was medically necessary. She didn’t know if that was standard or if it was because she was her.She was wearing one of those flimsy gowns that tied in the back. Her wrists were wrapped. The blood had already stopped but the bandages made it look worse, which worked in her favor. On the table next to her was a bottle of
The Mafia's Substitute Bride 207
When things fit worse and Alecia felt depression start to kick in, she picked her phone and walked into the bathroom.Bad lighting, white tiles behind her, no makeup, hair knotted at the top of her head like she hadn’t brushed it in days. The frame shook for a second, then her face filled the screen. She was holding the phone herself.That’s what made it viral in the first place.Raw, vulnerable, messy—just like they liked it.“My name is Alecia DeLuca,” she said, staring directly into the camera. Her eyes were puffy, the nose was red, and either she’d been crying or she made it look like she had. “And I can’t keep watching people pretend they know who I am.”. It didn’t matter that it was 3:19 a.m. on a Monday because the clip was ripped, reposted, subtitled, cropped, and stitched with reaction videos before it was even done uploading.She looked like a disaster, and that was the point.~“People think I’m this... monster,” she said. “That I’m evil, a liar, a whore, a thief, a fake.”
The Mafia's Substitute Bride 206
The staff at the front desk was pretending not to look, but Alecia could feel their eyes on her every time she stepped off the elevator. No one said her name, but they didn’t have to. Every face in that damn lobby knew exactly who she was, and they were all wondering the same thing—how long until the screaming starts again?She wore oversized sunglasses that didn’t match her clothes and kept her hoodie pulled up even indoors. The concierge smiled too politely. One of the bellboys whispered something behind his hand and laughed. The girl at the café kiosk tapped her phone under the counter.This was her fucking life now.She hadn’t left the room all morning, but the hotel was buzzing. Someone had leaked her check-in. She knew it wasn’t the front desk—at least not directly. It was always the same game. A cousin of a cleaner. A friend of the valet. One photo, one rumor, one post.All because of one fucking thing. She didn't know they hated her that much.She rode the elevator down in sil
The Mafia's Substitute Bride 84
The afternoon light streamed through the curtains, casting a harsh glow over the bedroom. She lay curled against Lucas, her body sore in ways she hadn't fully prepared for even this morning. Every small shift reminded her exactly why she was so exhausted, why even her bones felt tired. Lucas, on
Last Updated : 2026-03-25The Mafia's Substitute Bride 79
Alecia pushed the glass door open and stepped out of the mall, the morning cool air hitting her as she adjusted the shopping bags in her hands. She had two—one in each hand—while her friends, Vanessa and Kim, carried their own, all of them filled with new clothes, shoes, and whatever else they had
Last Updated : 2026-03-25The Mafia's Substitute Bride 81
Antonio De Luca glanced at Kim and Vanessa, his angry eyes assessing them for a moment.The two girls straightened under his gaze and greeted him in unison, “Good day Mr DeLuca” they moved back a bit. Year as friends with Alecia and you'll think they've grown on him, heck no, the man still looked a
Last Updated : 2026-03-25The Mafia's Substitute Bride 86
Immediately after dinner they both retired to their room, Valentina ran a hand through her hair, staring at the half-packed suitcase on the bed. They were leaving tomorrow.She exhaled, shaking her head before folding a shirt and placing it inside. The past few days had been exhausting in ways she
Last Updated : 2026-03-25
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